So Fast So Sudden
by Aerilyn Wolf
Summary: Kat, a girl who lives with her dad on a farm, has no way to ship their goods and may lose their home, until a neighbor finds a nice old semi to give to them for cheap. Little do they know that it's no ordinary semi they're buying.
1. Chapter 1

Kat stared out the window, pinning her dark hair behind her ear as she gazed out into the corn field. Warmth touched the window pane, sunlight splashing the hillside and making everything become awash in a yellowish golden hue. A cool breeze blew and the stalks tilted, like waves on an ocean of plants. The corn wasn't ready for picking just yet, but the heads were beginning to sprout, and soon the harvest would begin in August. Her dad would call her out, and she would drive the tractor as her dad picked the heads and tossed them into the bins. Then he would leave, shipping them to markets below the mountains and being gone for weeks at a time.

She wondered if that would happen this year, since her dad's old semi was broken down. The engine rarely kicked in, but then it would sputter and give in, releasing a black cloud. Her father tried many time to get it to work, to no avail. Parts were expensive, and her dad was a farmer. There was no way he could afford rebuilding it. The semi was past its time, and would never drive again. That was in April. Now it's June, and her dad had long since given up on trying to make his old semi work again. They had been driving around in his Oldsmobile, the paint peeling and the leather coming undone at the seams. Her dad was going to teach her how to drive it when she turned eighteen. He said "Kat, when you learn how to drive and you get your driver's license, you'll get this car." And Kat was okay with that. She liked the old car in all its hidden splendors and obvious disrepair. It ran well, and its A/C worked. That's all that she needed.

But Kat was worried about the harvest. The corn was their money, and their money was the food they got all through the year. They had wheat and strawberries, and a couple tomato plants and a peach tree in the backyard, but those would never support them for an entire year. The neighboring farms had enough on their plates. And payment for the house was difficult enough. She frowned, thinking deeply about the situation. She hoped she wouldn't have to get a job.

Her dad walked in, wiping sweat off his face with a towel. He looked at her with the same brown eyes she had, and tucked the towel away. "Old Duke says he's got a new truck for us, Kat," he said. "You wanna come with me to check it out?"  
>Kat nodded and hopped off of her bed. Her dad passed through the doorway and disappeared into the hallway. Kat grabbed her sandals and put them on, then grabbed a ponytail holder off her dresser on the way out of her room. She closed the door behind her and rushed after her dad, who was already outside charging the Oldsmobile. She heard the engine come to life as she stepped out the front door, her hands fiddling with her hair. She shut the door with her foot and ran to the car, and was able ot put her hair in a ponytail before reaching the car. As she opened the door, a random thought popped into her heard.<p>

If Duke's new semi didn't get the job done, her family may not make it to winter.

WOO. Finally putting this thing up! I've been teasing the thought of this story for such a long time, trying to make sure it's not too perfect or too stupid, and finally, I think I have some confidence in it.


	2. Chapter 2

Kat looked out the window, even though there wasn't much to look at. She had seen the town, the neighborhood, the hillside all before. The anxiety, though, was what pushed her to look outside. She could pick out those who were wealthy and those who were poor by their cars. Most of the ones who were rich did not have a farm to look after or a garden to keep up. Their houses were well-kept, bright and tall. Those less priveleged had houses with peeling paint, items scattered around the porch, large backyards and more industrial vehicles. She wondered what it was like to work at an office instead of outside. The car turned into a dirt road, and the town was left behind.

After a few minutes of bumpy riding, her dad said awkwardly "we're here," turning into the parking lot of the junk yard. The entrance had a wooden sign with the words "Duke's Palace" with a little tow truck underneath the letters. The parking lot was gravel and dirt, with only a couple vehicles parked. The building was set to the right of the parking lot, with an open door and a fan open to the parking lot. In front of the parking lot and the building were mountains and lines of old cars, parts, and rusted metal. A husky man with a grease-covered white shirt walked over to their car, wrench in hand, when her dad parked the car in the middle of the parking lot. The man's skin was dark, tanned from years in the sun, and sweaty. He wiped his forehead and looked into the passenger window as he came up to the door. Kat pressed the button and the window rolled down.

The man stuck his head inside and looked at her dad. "Hey, bud," the man said. "You came here for the semi?"

"Yeah," her dad said. "Hey Duke, do you have ny more spare tractor tires I could take with me?"

Duke shook his head, "I don't know, but you can check with Gunney if you need to." He pulled his head out and dad shut the car off. Both Kat and her father stepped out and walked over to Duke.

"Now before we see the semi, I have to warn you," Duke said, raising his hand cautiously," this thing has a mind of its own. It doesn't let anybody do anything to it. I tried testing the oil and the panic went off. Tried checking the tires and it whacked me with the door. I been too scared to drive it, thinking it might suddenly shut off on me while I'm on the highway."

"Sounds like it doesn't seem to like you messing with it," her father laughed. "It sees all these other cars and knows what you'll do to it!"

Duke chuckled. "I guess so. Alright, let's go see this beauty."

Kat, her father and Duke walked past a set of barb-wired fencing into the junkyard. The air smelled of rusted metal and sand, and her eyes burnt a little as the breeze blew the dirt into her eyes. Duke led them to a far corner of the junkyard, next to a large chain gate that looked as if a plane could fit through it. Parked not too far from the entrance was a large semi, its colors faded and undercarriage covered in dirt and dried mud. The tires were aged, and the frame for the left mirror was bent. Its body was a navy blue with bright orange flames coming from the grill and tire covers. It looked like it was once a precious semi to someone, it seemed so...out of place, with its coloring and nearly untarnished body. Like it was an alien amongst animals in this place.

Her dad whistled. "Looks almost brand new," he said. "I'm sure it runs real nice."

"Gunney checked the engine," Duke said. "Said she's got a beautiful engine under that hood. If you like, you can give it a rev real quick."

Her dad nodded, and Duke handed him a set of keys. Kat walked to the passenger side, and when she heard the lock click, pulled the door open and climbed in. The second she sat down, she could feel a distant, almost unnoticeable hum. The air felt alive here, and the seats didn't feel like normal car seats, padded and lifeless. This semi felt different...and she couldn't think of why. Her dad climbed in next to her, and put the key in the ignition. He turned the key and the engine rumbled to life. Kat had never heard such a rich, throaty roar come from a semi before. Indeed, this semi had an extraordinary engine. "Ooooooh," her dad said in awe. He looked around the cabin, taking in every detail. He felt the steering wheel, the shape of the shift stick in his hand.

He turned to his daughter, a grin on his face. "Feels lively and ready to go, doesn't it?"

Kat nodded. So it wasn't just her who felt the energy that was floating around.

"How's it feel from up there, Boris?" Duke shouted from in front of the semi.

"It feels great!" her dad shouted out the window. "Feels as if it wants to get up and work already!"

Kat heard a laugh, and a few seconds later saw Duke climb up to the side of the semi and peer in. He looked at the gauges and the dashboard, and smirked with satisfaction.

"She's a beauty, isn't she?" he asked in a low voice.

"Yeah she is," her dad said. "I just wish I knew who made it, I'd like to know in case I need parts in the future."

"Gunney and I already checked," Duke answered him. "We couldn't find a brand or company similar to the one it has. We figured it might be an upgraded Kenworth, Peterbilt hybrid maybe. Whoever had it last must've babied it to death, because we can't find a make or model in sight."

Kat ran her hand along the dashboard, and the hum she felt in the seats touched her fingertips. She wondered why guys always named inanimate objects after girls. Why not guys? This vehicle seemed guy-ish enough for her.

"What do you think, you wanna take it?" Duke asked.

"Of course I wanna take it," Boris chuckled. "How much?"

"Uh...I'll take three-fifty for it," Duke said to him.

"Three fifty!" her dad shouted. "I don't have that right now Duke, and you know that."

Duke raised his hands. "Alright, you can pay me later. I'll take what you have now and you can pay it off with what you have later."

Her dad sighed, and dug into his pocket. He pulled out a couple of bills, flipped through them, and handed them to Duke. "Here's fifty," he said. "It's all I've got right now."

Duke took it, counted, then stuffed it in his overalls pocket. "You need me to take the Oldie with me and follow you to your house?"

"Nah, my girl's got it," he turned to Kat. "Kat, would you please get the Olds started up? I'll be coming from behind the yard." He handed her a set of keys, and Kat scrambled out of the semi and trudged out of the junkyard. As she reached the Oldsmobile and stepped into it, her mind was buzzing. Not with actual words or images, but ideas. She wondered what kind of tune-up gave a vehicle such life. Special engine, custom motor maybe? This semi used to be pampered, and the maker of it originally was not known, so who knows what the last owner had done to it. She pushed the key into the ignition and turned. The engine made her think of some names for the semi. Throaty, Baby, Mack? No...Kicker, nah that was a horse name. Blue? Blue sounded good. But it wasn't all blue, so maybe Hot Wheels or Blaze would fit better. She saw her dad drive by with the semi, and turned out of the parking lot and followed him.

Twenty or so minutes later they reached their house, and Kat parked next to the semi. Its massive size made her car look like a bug. She closed the Oldsmobile's door and looked up at it. The sun was just peeking behind one of its smokestacks, so the semi had an unusual halo silhoueete around it. She went over and touched the side of the hood, and the unusual hum pulsed under her fingertips. "This thing has a life of its own..." Duke's voice echoed in her ears. He wasn't joking around, she could feel it. Something just seemed...alive about it. As if it could breathe, see, feel. And she wanted so badly to know its name.

"What's your name?" she said to it. It didn't answer, of course, but already she could feel something bonding with this vehicle. "Do you mind if I call you something? Would Blue be okay?"

After a moment, she smiled to herself. "Blue it is, then. I hope you're ready, Blue. Because your days are about to get real busy."

And with that, she walked to the house, the feeling of the semi's hum still on her fingertips.

Author's Note: I'm going to warn my readers ahead of time, this story has no beta readers, no editors, no revision between when it's typed and when it's posted. The most revision it gets is what I like or dislike about the ideas. Everything else is straight to text. Forgive me of any cliche's, stereotypes, Mary-Sue situations/actions, or impossible situations. If it's in here, I'm probably not aware of it.

(For those still waiting on my Stormy Skies fanfiction: I have the first chapter moved to this computer _FINALLY. _So by tomorrow, the very first chapter of Stormy Skies should be up and fresh!)


	3. Chapter 3

The Oldsmobile shook and rattled as they Kay drove down the street. The road to her school was old, as old as her school. Cracks and potholes were almost everywhere, so she drove slow. Knocking the steering wheel out of alignment was the worst thing to fix. Slowly, so slowly, the car came over the top of a hill, and a large brick building came through the trees. It was modest, old, with faded red bricks and small flag pole. But Kat smiled, and pulled into the student parking lot. Unlike most other children, she enjoyed the normal, repeating schedule that school presented to her. No guessing, no worrying about the market, no lifeless days spent doing nothing. Finally, school was in, and she would have something to keep her mind working and give her something to think about besides the ups and downs with living on a farm.

She opened the car door and pulled her light brown sack from the back seat. She used her butt to close the door and, looking at the letters etched into the concrete overhang above the front doors, took a deep breath of joy, then walked into the building.

Boris wiped his forehead and looked out from his wooden garage to the semi parked in the gravel driveway. He had just finished putting all the corn, wheat and other harvested goods into their bins. He gazed at the semi's humble form, hunched and lifeless. He felt as if it was looking back at him, expectantly, excitedly, ready to carry the harvest into town. He smirked, took off his thick gloves and walked over to the semi. He touched the paint on the driver's side door, feeling the glittery outline of the flames, the din of power underneath its colored aluminum, the lively bull inside the calm and patient ox.

He pulled the door open and cranked it up, and the engine roared to life with the sound of a lion's roar. He smiled. Duke meant well for charging him so much for her, old Blue ran better than any semi he'd come across. He shifted into reverse and used the back windshield to back the semi up to the trailer, parked in the shack behind the house. A pang of worry hit him for his little girl, going to school all on her own for the first time. It was replaced with a soft wash of relief when he remembered that, with the new semi and a good harvest, there was nothing to worry about. His little girl and he would make it through the winter...with warm water and electricity.

Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to update, guys. I had to go on a family trip real quick.

If anything sounds unrealistic, please let me know, and I'll do my best to avoid it in the future. I know the chapter's short, but this was one of those parts of the story that wasn't fully planned out just yet. There will be more in the next chapter, I promise.

FOR THOSE WHO HAVE READ MY FANFICTION "FINDING OUT THE TRUTH": Sorry guys, but that story has become a oneshot. It was posted years ago, and I've since forgotten the actual details of that story. It will never be finished, or updated. But for my readers' sake, it will be left up.  
>(If it's any constitution, this story is an evolutionized version of that one. Both come from the same basic idea, and the same background. The only difference is FOTT is based off of TF:ROTF and SFSS is based off of TF:DOTM. Also...the main character for FOTT was a Mary-Sue to the max. Be glad I never elaborated on that. xD)<p> 


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